Turtle Power (Staying fit through Mental health struggles)

Interviewer: Elisa A. Escalante/ LCSW/ BJJ practitioner/ Author/ AF Veteran

Interviewee: Dalton Seafler/ Personal Trainer/ Nutritionist/ Life Coach/ BJJ Practitioner

6-12-2024

Elisa: One of the first things that stood out and led me to want to tune into your Instagram stories is those morning affirmations you do. Very positive and motivating. When I wake up, my mind automatically goes to pessimistic thoughts. Did you have this struggle as well? How did you learn to reframe your thoughts and keep up with that morning ritual of affirmations?

Dalton: Yes and No. When I go through hard times, I have some mornings with negative thoughts. But I’ve learned and conditioned myself to take a full thirty to sixty minutes upon waking up just for me. I want to meditate, thought reframe, practice gratitude’s and affirmations for one hour before doing anything else. I’ll Journal, Pet the cats, and overall I’ll be thankful. I like to get a visual of where I am in the present moment. We need to practice being Grateful from the moment we wake up. I’ll take the time to visualize my ideal self, and reflect on the root causes of why I’m not quite there yet.

Elisa: You talked about working out through depression recently, in which you admitted to some days feeling ‘paralyzed’. I can relate to depression paralysis, and making attempts to fight through depression to still workout. Can you elaborate on how you start your workout despite paralysis? Any warm up tips especially?

Dalton: A breathing technique helps quite a bit; to help calm the heart and thoughts. I start this on the walk to the gym as well. My personal favorite is Box breathing; inhale, hold, exhale. Get mentally ready for the workout that needs to be done. Not every day will be the same. We start small, and we go further next time. We need to feel sustained through the routine and through the week. We need to be self aware and catch ourselves in difficult moments and hold ourselves accountable to the routine. Be present, ‘right now is what matter’s.’

Elisa: I recall you posting about how you do not have ‘one set workout plan’, but that you like to tailor the workout plan to your clients specific goals. I like this, because as a therapist, I feel it’s the same. ‘Cookie cutter approaches’ are less helpful. What does your interviewing process with new clients entail?

Dalton: I discuss ‘what they do throughout their daily lives… including daily lifestyle. Their current diet and workout ritual if there is one. I inquire about their mental health struggles too. I also need to know what their specific goals are and the target date that they want to hit those goals by. Another important thing is whether or not they have injuries; I will modify the workouts accordingly.

Elisa: What’s your approach on clients that have a history of struggling with food addiction and/ or eating disorders? It will in fact, be more complex and I was curious about how you handle those complexities during their fitness journey? Especially the nutrition component.

Dalton: I try to stay on top. I’m going to message you to ask how you are doing with your macros, workouts, body, feelings and the overall progress. Sometimes I’ll do daily text messages to help coach them through personal accountability. I’ll also answer whatever questions they may have about the nutrition component. And if they fall off the health plan, I encourage them to ‘do better tomorrow’. I’ll keep reminding them. But, I don’t yell! I tend to be pretty nice about it. I recognize that discipline takes time, it’s challenging!

Elisa: What would you advise people that want to stay consistent through workouts while grieving through a break up? I ask especially knowing we are both going through break up grief while pushing through our daily fitness goals!

Dalton: Use that pain to get in there. You can’t let up. One of the big things I’ve been learning is you manifest what you want/ need. Moving on is hard, some people aren’t meant for you. We have to switch the mind set from ‘us’ to ‘me’. Be thankful even for the relationship experiences because that’s what life is about. Memories and experiences. I’ll either become a better version of myself for that person, or I’ll become a better version of myself for me and/ or whoever comes next.

Elisa: What would you like people to know about your mental and physical recovery Post hand injury? Especially pertaining to how you got back into fitness after dealing with new limitations? (Dalton lost 3 fingers from a hydraulic press in 2014 while working)

Dalton: It goes back to me getting sick and tired of being the ‘underdog’ and being pushed around in life; there were admittedly people I wanted to get back at. I found my outlets; fighting and fitness. I had to grieve other goals such as going into the military, I dealt with various ‘failed’ relationships, I had to get sober. I was already in the mindset of doing better for myself before the hand accident, and after the hand accident, I refused to let go of that mindset. But I would say it was roughly two years after the Hand accident in which I pushed even harder and things started to truly click for me as far as discipline and consistency.

Elisa: I always say that when people are ‘hiring personal trainers/ coaches to enhance their fitness, what they are really paying for is the motivation’. Because a lot of nutrition and workout advice is online and free. Would you say this is true? And is motivation one of the harder aspects when it comes to helping clients optimize their health?

Dalton: Yes I agree, I do believe motivation/ discipline is one of the harder things to build up. This is why I hold people accountable quite frequently. After practicing and building up discipline and confidence, eventually the clients start to hold themselves accountable. After several weeks of frequent workouts, the body starts to feel weird ‘without the gym’. And the dominant voice in our mind becomes ‘we have to do this’. When we push through the harder days, we are the proudest because we pushed through and did the ‘damn thing’. That is what builds confidence, it’s daily proving to ourselves that we can remain disciplined even when motivation runs out.

Elisa: And….your Advice on Practicing Self love???!!!

Dalton: Start by learning to be okay with yourself. Stay cautious of seeking too much validation from others. How do we learn to love ourselves? By becoming our ideal self! That’s how!!!! We have to live up to our own standards. I believe the key to more happiness is to practice all the steps to become your ideal self, and do not Deviate from it!!!!!